EAST RUTHERFORD Wayne Chrebet Jerseys Stitched , N.J. (AP) — When Nicole Fountain was on the staff for MetLife Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands, planning events was among her main duties.Fountain worked with such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift, who staged concerts in the building. She organized major events and oversaw social media for the stadium while running media relations during Giants, Jets and college football games and international soccer matches.Then she had an idea that has morphed into something special: Touch of Football, a fundraiser for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.“I had joined forces with the foundation’s local chapter in New Jersey,” says Fountain, who suffers from the inflammatory bowel disease. “I was about to do a half-marathon with the foundation and was asking about all the things they put on. I was always looking to host new events, and perhaps bring more awareness to the foundation and fundraising.“I had the idea to put on a charity football tournament in the stadium.”The Giants and Jets were interested in helping, and in 2011 the event debuted. More than $100,000 was raised.“A ton of teams wanted to not only have the experience of taking the field during the NFL season on the same turf as their favorite players on the Jets and Giants,” Fountain explains, “but there were all these people who knew someone that had the disease who didn’t realize anything was being done on a local level.“So we started doing it annually at the stadium.”Soon, four other NFL stadiums were hosting Touch of Football games, in Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis and Foxborough, Massachusetts. By the end of 2018 Infant Jachai Polite Jersey , the Touch of Football events are projected to have raised $2.7 million.On Sunday, the eighth annual New Jersey tournament will take place at MetLife Stadium and is projected to raise nearly $115,000.It’s estimated that more than 3 million people in the United States have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation is the largest nonprofit, voluntary, health organization dedicated to finding cures for the diseases and to improve the quality of life of children and adults who are affected by these diseases.The Foundation works to fulfill its mission by funding research; providing educational resources for patients and their families, medical professionals, and the public; and furnishing supportive services for those afflicted.There are 38 chapters of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation in the nation.Among those afflicted are such athletes and former pros as Larry Nance Jr., David Garrard and Matt Light.“Eighty cents of what we raise per dollar goes to mission activity including research,” says Jeanine Kober, the foundation’s communications manager. “We have programs and support to help with the quality of life, and every person’s journey is unique and different. We have local education and coaching as well as online, and health centers. We offer quite a bit in terms of support to our patients.”The foundation holds more than 100 events annually ranging from galas and luncheons to golf tournaments and fishing tournaments.The touch football games at the NFL stadiums are particularly popular and even bring out local celebrities.In Seattle, Pro Football Hall of Famer Walter Jones, one of the most popular players the Seahawks have had, attended the 2017 event and then fielded a team this year that included former Seahawk Cliff Avril. Lawyer Milloy, Spencer Hawes, and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready have attended.“When the foundation books the stadium for that day, they get all the digital outlets to help promote sponsors of their event Jachai Polite Jersey Draft ,” Fountain says. “We do a lot of sponsor outreach for the tournament. It’s expensive to put on these events, so to offset that we bring in sponsors.“In New Jersey, we’re fortunate to have support from the Giants and Jets. The Giants are a presenting sponsor and helping to offset costs. The Jets donated a package of tickets to help with our fundraising efforts. The (participating touch football) team that fund-raises the most money gets to attend a Jets game together.”Even better, they’re aiding an important cause.FOX Fantasy AutoForm a Racing Team, Compete for PrizesPlay Now! NEW YORK (AP) — It wasn’t long after Todd Bowles was fired as the Jets‘ head coach that frustrated fans started asking the inevitable question:What about Mike Maccagnan?The general manager was hired a day before Bowles in 2015, the two linked together — but separately in the team’s reporting structure — for the next four seasons that featured lots of losing and disappointment.A few hours after completing a 4-12 season, Bowles was fired Sunday night by Christopher Johnson , the team’s acting chairman and CEO, who opted to keep Maccagnan in place.“I think Mike is a good talent evaluator, period,” Johnson said Monday. “Looking at the plan we have going forward, I’m a believer in Mike.”That declaration raised some eyebrows from some fans and media, who don’t necessarily share the Jets owner’s confidence in the man who will play a vital role in finding a new coach and building a roster around quarterback Sam Darnold with about $100 million in salary cap space to work with this offseason.Bowles deserved a large part of the blame, of course, for New York’s 24-40 record in his four seasons. But, the counter-argument is that the coach didn’t exactly have a roster filled with overwhelming talent and depth.And that falls on Maccagnan.“I think there are definitely things, where the team is right now, that are the result of some of the things — some of the decisions I made — that did not work out well Jachai Polite NFL Jersey ,” Maccagnan acknowledged. “I understand that. I definitely know I need to do a better job in certain areas. But I also feel confident that we have added some good pieces to this organization.”The trade up with Indianapolis last winter to draft Darnold at No. 3 overall is the biggest positive of Maccagnan’s tenure.Unless, of course, you consider that the quarterback-needy Jets passed on both Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes in 2017 and instead took safety Jamal Adams — who is already a Pro Bowl pick and a team leader, but not a franchise quarterback. And getting one cost New York two second-round selections last year and a second-rounder this year to be sure it was in position to draft one last April.Adams, by the way, implored the team after the season finale to get more “dogs” on the roster, playmakers who can make the difference between wins and losses. That could be considered an unintentional criticism of Maccagnan, whose draft record might be the most glaring strike against him.Only 12 of the 22 players selected in his first three years are still on New York’s roster. The first-rounders are starters — Adams, Darron Lee (2016) and Leonard Williams (2015) — but several other early round picks have been busts.Second-rounders Devin Smith (2015) and Christian Hackenberg (2016), and third-rounders Lorenzo Mauldin (2015) and ArDarius Stewart (2017) are all out of the league. Williams is the only player of the six the Jets drafted in 2015 still on any active roster, let alone New York’s.“Every team wants better talent,” Johnson said. “We’d love to have great talent. This team has to get better. Mike knows that.”Maccagnan has had some success with some late-round picks, with right tackle Brandon Shell (fifth round, 2016), punter Lachlan Edwards (seventh, 2016), wide receiver/special teamer Charone Peake (seventh, 2016) and running back Elijah McGuire (sixth Jachai Polite NFL Draft , 2017) all playing large roles for New York this season. Tight end Chris Herndon, a 2017 fourth-rounder, also had a solid rookie season.But some big-name, big-money free-agent signings and trades have also underwhelmed or backfired during Maccagnan’s tenure, namely Darrelle Revis, Brandon Marshall, Ryan Fitzpatrick and most recently Trumaine Johnson, who struggled in his first season with New York and was benched for the finale.In fairness, there have also been some big-time hits on under-the-radar signings, including a pair of Pro Bowlers in kick returner Andre Roberts and kicker Jason Myers, along with linebackers Brandon Copeland and Frankie Luvu.Leading wide receiver Robby Anderson was an undrafted free agent in 2016, and Maccagnan also swung a deal with the Colts during the draft last April to land defensive end Henry Anderson, who tied linebacker Jordan Jenkins — a third-rounder in 2016 — for the team lead with seven sacks.“I think we have some good, young players and we’ve positioned this team very well in terms of the salary cap, which is going to give us the ability to definitely augment our talent base,” Maccagnan said. “We also have, even with the players under contract, the ability of roster flexibility. So Jachai Polite Buffalo Bills Jersey , although it’s a difficult situation bringing a new coach into the environment, I do think we have the ability to adjust things to kind of fit different schemes and stuff like that, potentially.”Johnson reiterated his support for Maccagnan, saying the GM is the right man for the job as the Jets move forward and try to regain respectability.“I’ve worked with Mike now for a while,” Johnson said. “We’ve developed what I think is a good plan. It’s a plan we’re in sync on and it really came together with Sam. Now, we’re going to build with Sam, build around Sam and with some great players we have on this team already. I think it’s a good plan and I’m looking forward to working with Mike to take us to the next level — including this coach hire.”That’s where the spotlight will be over the next few weeks, with the likes of Mike McCarthy, Eric Bieniemy, Kris Richard and Todd Monken expected to interview for the Jets’ coaching vacancy.After that, it will be largely on Maccagnan to change the narrative on his tenure and mold the Jets into a roster of playoff contenders.“I think our big thing, like everything else,” Maccagnan said, “is to keep trying to make good decisions moving forward.”